Staff reports
The second annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival will be held from Thursday, Oct. 19, to Sunday, Oct. 22, in Beaufort.
The event will celebrate Conroy’s legacy as student and teacher through this year’s festival theme of The Transformative Power of Education.
Extending the conversations and experiences which began at the Pat Conroy at 70 festival and birthday celebration in October 2015, the Pat Conroy Literary Festival will continue to honor the writing life of Pat Conroy (1945–2016) in his adopted hometown of Beaufort.
The event has been expanded to include larger discussions of Southern literature, life and culture.
The multi-day gathering features writer panels and book signings, live dramatic performances, film screenings, receptions, readings, tours, exhibitions and a series of instructive workshops for writers, all centered around the University of South Carolina Beaufort’s Center for the Arts.
The schedule is as follows:
Thursday, Oct. 19
• Pat Conroy Literary Center Open House; 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at the Pat Conroy Literary Center
• Workshop: Who Do You Listen To? Building a Successful Writing Partnership; 10:30-11 a.m., USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, $25
• Beaufort Tours presents Pat Conroy’s Beaufort; 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 2-3:30 p.m., Beaufort Tours
Note: These tours continue throughout the festival. Visit patconroyliteraryfestival.org/schedule.
• Workshop: Tapping Your Creative Genius: A Workshop for Fostering Inspiration; 2-3 p.m., USCB Center for the Arts, $25.
• Guided Tour: Former Beaufort High School; 4-5:15 p.m., Beaufort Middle School, $25
• Panel Discussion: Pat Conroy as Beaufort High School Student and Teacher; 5:30-6:30 p.m., Beaufort Middle School, free
• Panel discussion: Porch Talk Live; 6:45-7:45 p.m., Beaufort Middle School, free
• Book Signing; 7:45-8:30 p.m., Beaufort Middle School, free
Friday, Oct. 10
• Exhibits Honoring Pat Conroy as Teacher; 5 p.m., USC Beaufort Center for the Arts
• Panel discussion: Lowcountry Local Favorites; 10-11 a.m., USCB Center for the Arts, $10
• Workshop: Tell Me a Story … in Verse: The Continuing Appeal of Narrative Poetry; 10:30-11:30 a.m., USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, $25
• Panel discussion: Pat Conroy’s Story River Books Novelists; 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, $10
• Pat Conroy Literary Center Open House; Noon-3:30 p.m., Pat Conroy Literary Center, free
• Reading: Hard Lines: Rough South Poetry; 1-2 p.m., USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, $10
• Workshop: Writing and Illustrating for the Children’s Book Market; 2-3 p.m., USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, $25
• Panel discussion: Teaching Pat Conroy’s Writing at the Citadel; 2:30-3:30 p.m., USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, $10
• Screening: “The Lords of Discipline” and more; 4-6:30 p.m., USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, $45
• Panel discussion: Citadel Class of 1967 Reunion Discussion; 6:30-7:30 p.m., USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, $45
• Reception and Book Signing; 8-10 p.m., Pat Conroy Literary Center, $45
Saturday, Oct. 21
• Panel discussion: Children’s Authors and Artists Panel; 10-11 a.m., USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, $10
• Workshop: Creative Organization for Writers; 10:30-11:30 a.m., USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, $25
• Conversation: The Transformative Power of Education in the Life of Robert Smalls; 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, $15
• Pat Conroy Literary Center Open House; Noon to 3:30 p.m., Pat Conroy Literary Center, free
• Screening: “Corridor of Shame: The Neglect of South Carolina’s Rural Schools”; 1-2:15 p.m., USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, $10
• Workshop: Book Publishing & Marketing – An Insider’s Guide; 2-3 p.m., USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, $25
• Panel discussion: Cookbook Author Panel; 2:15-3:30 p.m., USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, $15
• Performance: the musical “Conrack”; 4-6 p.m., USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, $40
• Conversation: William E. Dufford and Carl B. Epps III; 6:15-7:15 p.m., USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, $40
• Reception and Book Signing: Cake reception with William E. Dufford; 7:15-8:15 p.m., USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, $40
Sunday, Oct. 22
• Brunch with author Ann Kidd Taylor; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Dataw Island Club, $42
• Pat Conroy Literary Center Open House; noon to 3:30 p.m., Pat Conroy Literary Center, free
• Book Fair: Children’s Authors & Artists Book Fair; 1:30-3:30 p.m., USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, free
• Gallery Talk: Pat Conroy and the Transformative Power of Teachers; 2-3 p.m., USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, free
• Performance: Final performance of the musical “Conrack”; 3-5 p.m., USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, $30
• Guided Tour of the Former Beaufort High School; 3:30-4:45 p.m., Beaufort Middle School, $25
The Pat Conroy Literary Center is at 308 Charles St.; the USC Beaufort Center for the Arts is at 805 Carteret St.
For information on tickets and more, visit www.patconroyliteraryfestival.org.
